Door fastener



J. UNKELBACH T AL .1,799,265

DOOR FASTENER April 7, 1931.l

Filed DeC. 13 1927 Patented Apr. 7, 17931 -1- UNITED mesme-Nt tn-ICE Josnrrr UNKELBACH, or JAMAICA, AND HARRY DE BARR, or BROOKLYN, NEW Yom;

Doon yrlescllnivnn.

Application med December 13, 1927. seriai No. 239,660.

Our present invention relates generally to closures, and more particularly to Vlocking devicestherefor whereby the amount of opening of the closureis predeterminedly limited. I5 Although We have'illust'rated and shall hereinafter describe a device constructed in` device which Will predeterminedly limit the amount by which the door may be opened. Our invention provides means whereby the door may be. opened to this limited extent 30 Without being further openable from the out-` side, and in thisway the invention willl find applicabilityl in connection with staterooml doors, hotelA doors, or the like, "wherein a secure locking `of the doorV is desired While a partial opening thereoffor ventilation purf poses is rendered possible.V

Our invention provides further means for permittingV a similar limited opening of the door in amanner Which is openable from the outside, and in connection Withthis feature of our invention, means are provided forse#` curely holding the door inthe predetermined partially opened position. This feature of our invention rendersit also :applicable in connectionV with stateroom doors or the like, particularly Where such doors yare .provided with locking means which automatically` function When the door is shut. 1,

An important objectV of our invention is to invention lies in providingsuch a'device of only three component parts, two of Vwhich are designed to be firmly attached to theV movable door and a jambtherefor, and the other of which cooperates inan extremely simple .mannerbetween the twoiixed. com-'j` provide a Adevice of this character which is; not 'only simple in operation and devoid of any complicated necessary manualadjust-. ments, but which is simple'to manufacture. and toinstall. An important feature of our ponent parts. Furthermore, itis a-feature of our invention to provide these component parts of a simple character which permits them to be cast or Wrought and which renders them totally devoidof relatively minute adjustable the like. f A

In accordance with ourinvention, the three component parts may beV designated brieflyas a lockingbar, and an attaching portion for pivotal association With one end of thelocking bar and forlirm attachment to one of the parts such as set screws, springs, or`

closure elements suchas the jamb, andan engagement member for iirm attachment to'A the lotherof Ythe closure elementsrand for engagement in a slidablemannerwith the free end of the locking bar. We have found. it

most satisfactory to providerthe4 free end of the locking bar with an angularly disposedV head, and to provide the engagementmember With'a 'slotted portion `Within which the head? may slidably engage.

In accordance with oneV feature` of our invention, the head of the locking bar is irremov'ably engaged With theslot except whenv the closure is entirely shut, and in this Way a disassociation of the component parts of our device and a consequent opening of the door beyond the predetermined limit is rendered impossible from the outside of the. door.

` In accordance :with another object of our invention, the engagement member-is provided vvithl means such as van L-shaped slot Withvvhich the free end or angularly disposed head ofthe locking bar VmayV be selectively associated when itis desired to retain the door in a `predetermined partially opened position While at the same time rendering it possible toy open the doorfrom theoutside.`

`It is anv important featureV of'. our .invention, as a result of Which'the entire device is rendered simple of construction andoperation, toprovide an arrangement wherein the locking bar swings about its pivoted end in a plane defined by the free edge of the door and the 'corresponding edge of the jamb. 1 In. otheryvords, Where our device is employedV With a door ofthe usual character, the lockf ing bar is designed toswing ina substantially verticalplane. l

It is another object of our invention to provide our device with means for preventing not only further opening but also reclosing of the door or closure after a predetermined or desired partial opening has been effected. In this way, the device serves not only to limit the amount by which the door may be opened, but it alsoserves to hold the door in the predetermined partially opened position, and thereby is particularly applicable to stateroom doors or the like where the occupant may desire to retain the door in a fixed partially opened position, yet securely locked from the inside, during the night.

The foregoin objects and advantages, as well as others w ich will hereinafter appear or. be pointed out, are accomplished by means of a construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in two embodiments of the invention on the accompanying sheet of drawings wherein- Y Figure 1 is a front elevation of our device applied to a door of usual construction, the door being shut and being viewed from the inside Figure 2 is a cross-sectional elevation taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Figure 1 and showing the door partially opened in full lines and closed in dotted lines;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross-section, inv

plan, taken substantially along the line 3=3 of Figure 2;

Figure v4` is a view similar to Figure 1 showing a slightly modified construction; and

Figure 5 .is a cross-sectional plan View taken substantially along the line '5--5V of Figure 4.

Referring to Figuresl, 2, and 3, 10 represents a door jamb of thevusualcharacter, 11 represents a door in closed relationship with the jamb, and 12 represents the edge of the j amb with respect to which the free Yedge 13 of the door 11 moves into and out of registryy when the door is c-losed or opened. In Figure 1, the door isshown closed, and for this reason, the free edge 13 is in registry with the edge/12 of the jamb 10.

A locking bar 14 is provided at its pivote'd end with a substantially spherical por tion 15 which engages within a socket or bearing therefor securely fastened to the jamb 10 adjacent to the edge 12. vThis attaching part is most clearly disclosed in Figure 3 wherein it will be noted that a suitable num ber ofscrews 16 pass through a portion 17 which overlies the jamb surface, whileY a socket portion 1-8 extends outwardly and provides a chamber thereunder for the accommo'd'ation of the spherical end 15. Theattaching part is so constructed as to provide a substantially vertical slot 19 in communication with the chamber. accommodating Vthe end 15, whereby the bar 14 may freely swing in a substantially vertical plane. It is 4to be noted that the width of the slot. 19 is slightly greater than the width of the bar portion eX- tending therethrough, so that the movement of the bar is not limited to a strictly vertical swing. In other words, a suitable clearance is provided to render the pivotal association a somewhat universal one. The purpose of this will be obvious hereinafter. y

The free end of the bar 14 is bent at substantially right angles to the main portion of the bar and terminates in the head 20. The bar is also advantageously curved midway thereof as shown clearly in Figure 1 so that the head 2O will overlie the marginal portion of the door 11 despite the fact that the pivoting of the bar may have been necessitated a slight distance away from the edges 12 and 13.

The engagement member which cooperates with the head 20 is an elongated member of substantially right-angular cross-section. .One portion 21 thereof is designed to be attached to the marginal portion of the door 11 as shown in Figure 1 as by means of screws 22 or the like. The other portion 23 is arrangedwith its outer surface flush with the Y free edge 13 of the door 11 and is provided with a longitudinal slot 24V having a width only slightly greater than the width of the bar portion passing therethrough. At its upper end, as viewed in Figures l and 2, the slot 24 has an enlargement 25 which permits the withdrawaly of the head 20 from engagement with the slot when the door is completely closed, but noty otherwise. The lower end of the slot 24 is positioned at a point on a line extending from the pivot point of the bar substantially perpendicularly to the edges 12 and 13. The purpose of this will be more fully understood hereinafter.

The portion 23 is also provided with an L- shaped slot clearly shown in Figure 2 whereof one arm 26 is aligned with the slot 24 and the other arm 27 extends to the edge of the portion 23.

When .the device is installed, the slotted member is so attached to the door that the lower end of the slot 24 is positioned with respect to the pivot point as described in the previous paragraph. The device is then readyV for use in either of two ways. Where it is desired to prevent an openingv of the door from .the outside, the door is first closed, and the head V2O is passed through the enlargement 25 so that it assumesa position substantially like that shown in Figure l and the leftshand portion of Figure 2. If the door be now opened, the bar 14 will swing in a subtanti-ally vertical plane defined by the edges 12 and 13, and the head 20 will` slide downwardly inthe slot .24. This sliding is limited in extent by the lower end of the slot 24 so that when the bar 14 is inthe full line position of Figure 2, i. e., extending substantially perpendicularly lfrom the pivot oint, no further`r sliding is rendered possi le. This position, of the bar is one which may be ics;

termed a dead center position and the door is prevented from either opening further or being reclosed. If it is desired to close the door, it is necessary to lift the free end of the bar by a slight amount so as to withdraw the bar from this dead center position. Although this slight lifting would seem to be sufficient in order to permit reclosing of the door, nevertheless the clearance in the slot 24 land the general arrangement of the component parts makes it possible to leave the bar in any of a number of positions wherein the door is opened by a degree slightly less than that illustrated in Figure 2. It is not until the bar has been lifted to a point where it forms an angle of approximately 45o to the horizontal that sliding will automatically occur as the door is pushed closed.

It will be obvious that when the bar is associated with the slot 24, the door will be retained in a predetermined partially opened position without any possibility of opening the door further from the outside. It will also be obvious that no adjustments of any character have been necessitated, the simplicity of operation being no less than the simplicity of construction.

The fact that the door is hinged alongan axis opposite the free edge 13 results in a movement of this free edge along an arc but this arc has such a large radius with respect accompanies, that the clearance in the slot 19 as well as in the slot 24 is sufficient to permit the device to function.

When it is desired to employ the device in -the other possible manner, i. e., to permit an opening of the door from the outside, the door is first closed, the head removed from the enlargement 25, the door is then opened to the position of Figure 2, and the head 20 is then inserted into the L-shaped slot 27--26- This engagement holds the door in a predetermined partially opened position and prevents automaticlocking thereof in a ease where the door is provided with such a snap lock.

In Figures 4 and 5 we have illustrated a modification wherein the pivotal attachment is made to a portion of the jamb at right angles to the surface shown in Figure 1. An attaching portion 17 is provided with a raised portion 18 providing a socket for the accommodation of the enlarged head 15 of the bar 14. In this construction, the bar may f be entirely straight as shown in Figure 4.

The operation of the device is' exactly like that hereinbefore described, and it will be noted that the rod swings in a plane substantially vperpendicular to the angularly disposed free end of the bar, as before. In this construction, a sufficient clearance is provided at 19 to permit the device to function as the door swings about its hinge axis.

It will of course be understoodthat our invention is not limited to the specific embodiment illustrated. For example, the relatively fixed component parts of the device may be interchanged so that the slotted member is .on the jamb and the pivoted member on the door. Similarly, the device may be applied with equal facility to such closures as transoms or the like. Nor is it essential that the slotted member be associated with the edge of a movable closure member opposite a hinge axis. Thus, the device could be used with equal facility in connection with the top edge of the door illustrated in the drawings. rlhis would be impractical where the device is employedwith a door, but in the case of a transom, it may be more convenient to arrange the device in association with one of the edges adjacent to the hinged edge. In its essence, the device is applicable to closures wherein there is a j amb element and a movable element, and wherein `the movable element has a free edge moving into and out of registry with an edge of the j amb element.

In general, it will be obvious that the details herein described and illustrated for the purpose of explaining the nature of our invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claim. It is therefore intended that these details be interpreted as illustrative and Y not in a limiting sense. to the amount of opening which the device Having thus described our invention and illustrated its use, what we claim as new and4 desire to secure by Letters Patent is- In combination with a j amb and a door the free edge of which moves into and out of registry with the jamb, a device for retaining the door open a predetermined limited amount comprising in combination, a normally vertically disposed fastening bar pivoted at its lower end to the jamb, the free end of said bar being bent at substantially right angles to the main portion of thelbar and terminating in an enlarged head, means carried by the door adjacent the free edge thereof for c0- operating with said enlarged head, said means comprising anelongated member of substantially right angular cross-section, one portion of said elongated member being arranged with its outer surface flush with the free edge of the door and provided with a longitudinal slot, the upper end of said slot being enlarged to permit the withdrawal of the enlarged head of the bar from said slot only when the door is in closed position, and the lower end of said slot being positioned upon a line extending from the Vpivot point of the bar substantially at a right angle to the free edge of the door.

In witness whereof we have signed this 

